Icebreaker to be built locally

Edison Chouest Offshore says it will do much of the work on a new icebreaker, like this one, in Houma.

Kathrine SchmidtStaff Writer

Published: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:52 a.m.

HOUMA — Final assembly of a $150 million Arctic supply vessel for Edison Chouest Offshore is expected to take place in Houma, a project that will keep hundreds of local workers busy for more than two years, company officials said Thursday.

Gary Chouest, the company’s president, had previously said work on the ship would either take place at LaShip, the company’s new yard in Houma, or at its recently acquired facility in Tampa.

The company announced the contract for the vessel, designed to support oil and gas drilling in Alaska for Shell, in July.

The boat will be 360-400 feet long and customized to stabilize drilling rigs and deliver supplies in the icy and dangerous waters of the Arctic. It’s the largest boat the company has built.

Much of the preliminary work, chiefly preparing raw materials, will also take place in Houma and Larose, said Peter Jansen, a special-projects manager with the company.

“The steel is beginning to be cut,” said Lonnie Thibodeaux, spokesman for Galliano-based Edison Chouest. “Several shipyards will participate.”

LaShip, touted as a major economic-development win for the state and the area, promises to create 1,000 jobs with salaries in the mid-$50,000 range.

Previously, officials said the location of the construction would depend on the fate of a public dry dock that LaShip would lease from the Port of Terrebonne. The state had already devoted $9 million to the port through the Department of Transportation’s Port Construction and Priority Program, and LaShip was to contribute $5 million.

But the lowest qualifying bid for the dock came in at $26.5 million from Gulf Island Fabrication, and local port officials have been negotiating since April to increase the government financing to cover the balance of the cost.

Port Director David Rabalais says he believes a deal has been struck but said he couldn’t divulge the details yet.

“We think we’ve got the funding resolved,” he said.

The hull will be built in Larose, while the superstructure and final assembly will take place at LaShip, Jansen said. It is expected to take just over two years and 2.3 million man-hours to construct.

It will also be designed to operate in “one of the most pristine marine environments on Earth,” Thibodeaux said.

An entire deck will be devoted solely to treating exhaust. It will be painted blue and white instead of the trademark orange and cream of Chouest vessels to avoid disturbing whales.

After Shell spent years mired in legal challenges to its drilling plan for the Arctic, the U.S. Minerals Management Service in December gave the company permission to drill a limited number of wells. That’s a decision that could pave the way for more business in that market, Thibodeaux said.

<p>HOUMA — Final assembly of a $150 million Arctic supply vessel for Edison Chouest Offshore is expected to take place in Houma, a project that will keep hundreds of local workers busy for more than two years, company officials said Thursday.</p><p>Gary Chouest, the company's president, had previously said work on the ship would either take place at LaShip, the company's new yard in Houma, or at its recently acquired facility in Tampa.</p><p>The company announced the contract for the vessel, designed to support oil and gas drilling in Alaska for Shell, in July.</p><p>The boat will be 360-400 feet long and customized to stabilize drilling rigs and deliver supplies in the icy and dangerous waters of the Arctic. It's the largest boat the company has built.</p><p>Much of the preliminary work, chiefly preparing raw materials, will also take place in Houma and Larose, said Peter Jansen, a special-projects manager with the company.</p><p>“The steel is beginning to be cut,” said Lonnie Thibodeaux, spokesman for Galliano-based Edison Chouest. “Several shipyards will participate.”</p><p>LaShip, touted as a major economic-development win for the state and the area, promises to create 1,000 jobs with salaries in the mid-$50,000 range.</p><p>Previously, officials said the location of the construction would depend on the fate of a public dry dock that LaShip would lease from the Port of Terrebonne. The state had already devoted $9 million to the port through the Department of Transportation's Port Construction and Priority Program, and LaShip was to contribute $5 million.</p><p>But the lowest qualifying bid for the dock came in at $26.5 million from Gulf Island Fabrication, and local port officials have been negotiating since April to increase the government financing to cover the balance of the cost.</p><p>Port Director David Rabalais says he believes a deal has been struck but said he couldn't divulge the details yet.</p><p>“We think we've got the funding resolved,” he said.</p><p>The hull will be built in Larose, while the superstructure and final assembly will take place at LaShip, Jansen said. It is expected to take just over two years and 2.3 million man-hours to construct.</p><p>It will also be designed to operate in “one of the most pristine marine environments on Earth,” Thibodeaux said.</p><p>An entire deck will be devoted solely to treating exhaust. It will be painted blue and white instead of the trademark orange and cream of Chouest vessels to avoid disturbing whales.</p><p>After Shell spent years mired in legal challenges to its drilling plan for the Arctic, the U.S. Minerals Management Service in December gave the company permission to drill a limited number of wells. That's a decision that could pave the way for more business in that market, Thibodeaux said.</p><p>“It opens the door,” Thibodeaux said. “We're pleased with that decision.”</p><p>Staff Writer Kathrine Schmidt can be reached at 857-2204.</p>